1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a service providing apparatus for identifying a desirable service to be provided to a user from a large number of provided services such as broadcasting programs in a cable television (CATV), an interactive television and the Internet Relay Chat (IRC), and to a service receiving apparatus, a service providing host, a computer-readable recording medium for storing a selected-service receiving program, a computer-readable recording medium for storing a selected-service transmitting program, a service selecting method in a service receiving apparatus, and a method for transmitting a selected service in a service providing host.
More specifically, the present invention is directed to a service providing apparatus that is configured to select a service to be provided based on service utilization information of a plurality of users, a service receiving apparatus, a service providing host, a computer-readable recording medium for storing a selected-service receiving program, a computer-readable recording medium for storing a selected-service transmitting program, a service selecting method in a service receiving apparatus, and also to a method for transmitting a selected service in a service providing host.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various services such as broadcasting programs of a CATV, and open channels for IRC are available for accessing and are typically selected directly by users. However, there are many services available, specifically, there are hundreds of open channels are found in IRC and therefore, it is difficult for individual users to select desirable services. In particular, when first attempting to use such services, users have an extremely difficult time learning about even the most basic of the services available. This problem is especially acute when attempting to use IRC. The reasons for such problems are easy to understand. In the CATV, since the programs are determined before broadcasting the programs, the users may obtain information concerning programing by referring to a program table in order to select desirable programs. On the other hand, with reference to IRC, there are no such program listings available which reveal the contents of conversations in the IRC programs, even when the main subjects on open channels are pre-determined in advance.
To solve the above-described difficulties which occur when a user attempts to select a service, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-86279 discloses a home terminal system for CATV. This CATV home terminal system allows the services to be classified according to the contents thereof and the users to designate the classification, so that the number of services displayed on the screen will be reduced. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-261609 discloses transmitting apparatus, receiving apparatus, and transmission/reception system for broadcasting program, in which the audience rating of programed services is displayed, and the number of services is reduced to display on the screen in an order based upon increasing audience ratings. Furthermore, another system has been proposed, in which, while using specific phrases and theme music concerning in the contents of the services to be provided, specific services are selected from a large number of services, on behalf of users, and then the selected specific services are displayed on the screen. For instance, there is a system which allows a user to designate a keyword appearing in an open channel of IRC and produce a list of channels which include this keyword on the display screen.
However, in such the systems as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-86279 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-261609, when the users attempt to select desirable services, the number of services which will be displayed on the screen is slightly reduced so as to make the selection task a little easier. Further, in the conventional system where a keyword is designated the users, the users will have no chance to learn about such services that fall outside of the designated keyword.